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UFC Vegas 123 took place this weekend and delivered entertaining fights and consequential results. However, the biggest news of the weekend came in the main event, and it wasn’t the winner’s performance.
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In the main event, Tom Nolan defeated Renato Moicano via third-round TKO. The result carries a heavy amount of controversy, as Moicano was on track to enter the third round up two rounds to none, but didn’t because of a referee decision.
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In the second round, Moicano was on Nolan’s back and had a body triangle locked in. That’s one of the more dominant positions a fighter can have. With 1:12 seconds left in the second round, referee Dan Miragliotta breaks up the position and stands the fighters up.
No joke I think this is top 5 worst ref standups of all time pic.twitter.com/Id02M2PWko
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 1, 2026
A referee isn’t supposed to stand fighters up unless there is literally no advancement and the fighter in the dominant position isn’t putting out any offense. Usually, stand-ups happen when a fighter has top control, or there’s a clinch against the fence with little action.
A body triangle is a difficult position to get, and Moicano wasn’t just stalling once he had it. That position can be used to throw strikes or, especially, to find a submission.
It was also clearly a point of emphasis in Moicano’s game plan. In the first round, Moicano took the same position, knowing Nolan couldn’t defend it. That’s not stalling a fight; that’s exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses.
After the separation, Nolan hurt Moicano to end the round, and then finished him early in round three.
Since the fight, Moicano has spoken about the controversial decision and isn’t shy about how he feels.
Renato Moicano caught off guard by referee stand-up
May 13, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; UFC referee Dan Miragliotta during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Reuters)Speaking with Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani, Moicano was candid about how the decision affected him.
“I was thinking, ‘What the f*** is going on?’ I was shocked.”
“I think it’s fair to say [it affected me]. But I don’t have anything to complain about Tom Nolan. He did nothing wrong. He beat me fair and square. It’s not his fault the referee made a mistake.”
“Imagine if the referee kept the position. Even though I wasn’t hurting him, I was trying to finish him. I was trying to advance.”
Despite the clear frustration from Moicano, which is warranted, he handled that situation with class. Giving Nolan credit is still fair; Moicano was adamant that Nolan was the better striker on the night.
That said, it’s still egregious; Moicano wouldn’t have been as hurt going into round three if Miragliotta had stayed out of the fight. Another part is that this also affects Moicano’s pay, since he left the fight with one check, not two.
Maybe Nolan wins the fight anyway, but there’s no way of knowing, and this fight will forever be known as the worst ref stand-up in MMA history.
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